Chocolate Espresso Buche De Noel

Chocolate Espresso Buche de Noel is a holiday tradition that will stay with your family for years to come! Buche de Noel, also known as a Yule Log, is one of the most traditional christmas cakes in France and one that I love to serve every year.As December rolls around, the Christmas decoration are up, we are loaded with holiday gatherings and planning the menu for our Christmas day feast.The Buche de Noel is always on the menu, sometimes served on christmas eve or enjoyed on Christmas day.

Buche de Noel is a roulade, or rolled cake, filled and iced with buttercream and decorated with meringue mushrooms, fresh flowers, or fondant holly and resembles an actual Yule Log.The best part of this cake is that the filling can be changed every year to make it a surprise for the season.This year, I will be serving a Chocolate Espresso Buche de Noel that has a rich and decadent flavor and is the best way to end a special meal.

Chocolate CakeThe rich devils food cake is a perfect cake to roll because it is moist which allows it to take shape with out cracking.The key to creating this shape is to form it while it is still warm.Once the cake is baked and out of the oven, allow it to cool for twenty minutes.While the chocolate cake is still slightly warm, leave the parchment paper on the bottom and roll the cake.The cake will keep its shape when unrolled and ready to fill with icing.

Chocolate Espresso Italian Buttercream Icing Not as simple as a quick American buttercream, but there is nothing better than Italian Buttercream.This method is started with an Italian meringue; boiling water and sugar and then slowly added to whipping egg whites.Once the syrup is added, incorporate the butter, one piece at a time, to create the light, fluffy and not overly sweet Italian Buttercream.Melted chocolate and espresso powder is then added to the buttercream to bring the flavor to life.The Chocolate Espresso Italian Buttercream is used for the filling and the icing of the Buche de Noel.

Meringue MushroomsIf you can save them long enough to make it onto your Buche de Noel, meringue mushrooms are the shining star of this cake.They are cute, crunchy and bring a personality to your log.The meringue can be made a day in advance because they take quite some time to dry.Create the meringue using egg white, sugar and cream of tarter and then pipe into the shape of mushrooms; the stem and the cap.Before baking, sprinkle the caps with espresso powder.Once the mushrooms are baked and cooled, dip the caps into chocolate and then place on the stem.

Each cake is rolled, filled, iced and decorated and I promise it will be the most beautiful and delicious dessert on the table.Garnish your Buche de Noel with your homemade meringue mushrooms, fresh flowers and powdered sugar for an elegant centerpiece and a very merry Christmas tradition!

Buche de Noel, also known as a Yule Log, is one of the most traditional christmas cakes in France and one that I love to serve every year. As December rolls around, the Christmas decoration are up, we are loaded with holiday gatherings and planning the menu for our Christmas day feast. The Buche de Noel is always on the menu, sometimes served on christmas eve or enjoyed on Christmas day.

Author: Kristen Massad

Ingredients

Chocolate Devils Food Cake

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

¾ Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 tsp Baking Powder

2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

2 Cups Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Cup Buttermilk

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Hot Coffee

Chocolate Espresso Italian Buttercream

1 Cup Granulated Sugar, divided

¼ Cup Water

5 Egg Whites

2 Cups Unsalted Butter, cubed at room temperature

2 tsp Espresso Powder

1 Cup Semisweet Chocolate, melted

Espresso Meringue Mushrooms

2 Egg Whites

¼ tsp Cream of Tartar

½ Cup Granulated Sugar

¼ cup Semi Sweet Chocolate, Melted

Espresso Powder, dusting

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a ½ sheet pan with parchment paper

In a large bowl combine all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside

In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment combine the granulated sugar, vegetable oil, buttermilk and eggs; mix until fully combined

Alternating with dry ingredients and hot coffee, slowly add to the egg mixture and mix until smooth